Sony has presented the new PS4 and PS5 games for 2023 in a video. Most games will be released only for the PS5, and there are no plans for ports for the PS4.
Sony has announced a whole dozen new games for the PS5 and for the new PSVR2 in 2023. This clearly shows the direction it could take: namely, more towards the PS5 and away from the old PS4.
Sony is skipping many PS4 ports in 2023
What games are we talking about? Sony has presented a new video. Here, they show short impressions of games that are all to be released in 2023. One thing stands out: Many games are now being released exclusively for the PS5 and will not receive a port for the PS4 anymore.
Ports are usually stripped-down versions that still run on the older console.
Here you can see all the games at a glance that you can also see in the video:
- Final Fantasy XVI – PS5
- Horizon 2 DLC – PS5
- Spider-Man 2 – PS5
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage – PS5/PS4
- Resident Evil 4 (Remake) – PS5/PS4
- Forspoken – PS5
- Suicide Squad – PS5
- Dead Space – PS5
- Stellar Blade – PS5
- Street Fighter 6 – PS4/PS5
- Star Wars Jedi Survivor – PS5
- Alone In The Dark – PS5
- Firewall Ultra – PS5/PSVR 2
- Pacific Drive – PS5
- The Lords of the Fallen (2023) – PS5
- Horizon VR: Call of the Mountain – PS5/PSVR Only
- Destiny 2: Lightfall – PS5/PS4
- Eternights – PS5/PS4
- Tchia – PS5/PS4
- Season A Letter To The Future – PS5/PS4
- SynDuality – PS5
- Hogwarts Legacy – PS5/PS4
- Wildhearts – PS5
Of the 23 games introduced in the video, less than half (8 games) will receive ports for the PlayStation 4.
What does this mean for players? In the long term, this likely means that Sony will focus its attention on the PS5 and move away from the old PlayStation 4. At least, this is a clear sign for the colleagues at Kotaku that the time of the PS4 is now definitively over.
This is likely to be a strong plus point for the PS5. Until now, the low number of exclusive PS5 games was a reason not to buy a PS5. Many new games could be played on both the PS5 and other platforms. A PS5 was not strictly required for that. But that is changing now, as the video shows.
Is it only Sony’s strategy that is changing? No, Sony is not the only publisher turning away from last-gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One. Other studios are also transitioning to Xbox Series S/X and PS5 and are only offering their games for current platforms. Skipping ports often saves valuable resources that can then be invested in other projects.
Additionally, the supply situation around the PS5 has significantly improved, and anyone can currently buy a PS5 if they want to. This should also give the PS5 another boost.
One of the last big titles for the PS4 was the new God of War: Ragnarök. Here, the PS4 was able to demonstrate once again what the console can achieve:
God of War: Ragnarök looks great on the PS4, but pushes it to its limits
